France and UK sign agreement to curb Channel crossings

By THOMAS ADAMSON and JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — The interior ministers of France and Britain have signed a joint agreement in Paris to try to curb migration across the English Channel — a regular source of friction between the two countries. The British government has agreed to pay 72.2 million euros ($75 million) to France in 2022-2023 in exchange for France increasing its security presence by 40% across sea access points along the coast. This represents an additional 350 gendarmes and police. The agreement also contains proposals to fight crime across the regular migration routes, and the two ministers agreed their countries would harvest information from intercepted migrants to help tackle smuggling networks.